quarterly resource for local church elders t October 2005/march 2006 •••**• **»'^ •^jgm THIS ISSUE 60,000 COPIES quarterly resource for local church elders t October 2DOS/march 2006 ELDER'S Contents DIGEST OCTOBER 2005 / MARCH 2006 EDITORIAL VOL 12 NO. 1 Editor fonas Arrais Assistant Editor Mark Sigue Features Ministerial Association Secretary James A. Cress YOUTH MINISTRY Creative Director THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD GOD IS Tanya Holland UPON ME A FOUNDATION FOR THE MARKETING STANDARD OF THE CHURCH Publishing HOW TO INVOLVE THE YOUTH IN Ministerial Association General Conference of THE CHURCH Seventh-day Adventists COMPELLED BY MISSION Marketing Manager Cathy Payne TELL THE WORLD MINISTRY TO THE AND DIVISION CONSULTANTS TOUCH A HEART TELL THE WORLD EAST-CENTRAL AFRICA SPECIALIZING IN THE IMPOSSIBLE John Kakembo LABORERS TOGETHER WITH GOD EURO-AFRICA Bruno Vertallier WHY LAY PREACHING? EURO-ASIA SABBATH SCHOOL WHERE IT CAME Pavel Khiminets FROM AND WHERE IT'S GOING INTER-AMERICA Hector Sanchez 46 STRANDED WITH GRIEF NORTH AMERICA 49 THE CHURCH ELDER ACCORDING Russell Burrill TO A MINISTER'S WIFE NORTHERN ASIA-PACIFIC Miguel Luna Departments 50 THE SPIRITED MEETING SOUTH AMERICA 53 REFLECTIONS FORA NEW YEAR Alejandro Bullon 3 EDITORIAL 56 WHICH VERSION OF THE BIBLE SOUTHERN AFRICA-INDIAN OCEAN 4 INTERVIEW Passmore Hachalinga SHOULD I USE? 30 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS SOUTHERN ASIA 61 SPIRITUAL NATURE OF CHILDREN M. Wilson 32 SERMONS SOUTHERN ASIA-PACIFIC 62 FROM PASTOR TO ELDERS Houtman Sinaga SOUTH PACIFIC Gary Webster TRANS-EUROPEAN Daniel Duda WEST-CENTRAL AFRICA R. Danforth Francis TO WRITERS: Articles about the work of the local elder are welcomed and may be submitted to Elder's Digest, 12S01 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904-6516. A Stamped, self-addressed envelope should accompany unsolicited manuscripts, fitter's Digest is published quarterly by the Seventh-day Adventist Ministerial Association © 2006, which retains full editorial control. It is printed by Pacific PressOPub. Assn., 1350 N. Kings Road, Nampa, ID 83687-3193. PRINTED IN THE U. S. A. EDITOR'S NOTES: The articles in this publication have been revised slightly or updated to conform to the intended audience and nature of Elder's Digest. SUBSCRIPTION RATES AND ADDRESS CHANCES: Please send all subscriptions and address changes to Elder's Digest, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904-6516. Bible Credits: Texts credited to NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. CopyrighlG 1973, 1978. 19ft4 by the Internationa! Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. 2 OCTOBER 2005/MARCH 2006 EMAIL: ELDERSDIGESTffGC.ADVENTIST.ORG A New Horizon It is a real joy to present the new Elder's Digest magazine. For We understand that you were called by Cod to accomplish a spe­ many years Pastor Joel Sarli, with wisdom and ability, prepared this cial assignment in His church. And you are doing your best for helpful resource for local church leaders. We would like to express Him, because you love Him and understand the solemn times in our gratitude for his ministry and vision. which we are living. For these reasons, you are working with pas­ sion to see Jesus coming soon. Can the church do something more This special double issue includes the last quarter of 2005 and for you? We think so. the first of 2006; however, Elder's Digest will continue as a quar­ terly resource magazine. As you can see, we feature a new design With this vision and understanding, we want to transform our and format with the intent to provide more attractive and inter­ magazine to deliver more training, better support, and to become esting material for our readers. Each magazine will contain an a more effective equipping tool for all elders in their multiple interview, four sermons, questions and answers, articles written functions as partners in pastoral ministry. We firmly believe that by different departmental leaders from the General Conference, if we set quality material in your hands, you will be able to serve plus many other fascinating resources which feature the church's the church with more motivation and effectiveness. However, in programs for local leaders. previous years, this magazine has been put in the hands of few church elders. We recognize the importance of elders in the local church. Today, we have nearly 100,000 churches and compa- Our dream is to see that each local church elder around the world — nies around the world, with more receives this magazine. Perhaps in some locations it will be nec­ than 200,000 local church essary to translate the magazine into the local languages while leaders preaching, visiting, in others places, our church administrators will need to provide and evangelizing. It is almost financial support to share this tool freely. In this way, church pas­ impossible to imagine the tors should serve an important role as facilitators and motivators. church working effectively with­ None of these obstacles can keep us from visualizing this bright out these volunteers. But what new horizon. What a challenge! With God on our side, we can are you, church leaders, receiving reach these goals together. from our church? As pastors and members, we have a deep re­ We ask for your support as we transform this dream into reality. spect, appreciation, and gratitude for everything you are doing to help this ministry grow. But Jonas Arrais is that enough? General Conference Associate Ministerial Secretary OCTOBER 2005/MARCH 2006 ED: What is your definition of 3,500 Adventists who attended the Gener­ lifestyle? al Conference Session in Toronto, Canada, CAH: Lifestyle is an ensemble of habits among which fifteen percent were from that an individual puts into practice in South America. Analyzing the results, Dr. his/her daily life, in such a way that it Handysides observed that church mem­ INTERVIEW: CARLOS ALBERTO HEIN may cause the preservation of his/her bers are not practicing adequate physical Pastor Carlos is a fourth generation Ad- health or for the cure of diseases. exercise and are not eating enough por­ ventist from Argentina. He is married to tions of fruits and vegetables. He conclud­ Graciela and has three children: Nancy, ED: What is the lifestyle indicated by ed that "Adventists should practice more Billy, and Erwin. He worked with the the Adventist Church? what they preach." missionary launch in the Amazon, Brazil, CAH: Since the nineteenth century, between 1980-1984, and he also direct­ Adventists, encouraged by Ellen White, ED: Talk about the life expectancy ed the Northeast Argentina Mission for have as an orientation the eight natural of Adventists compared to many years. At the present time, he is the remedies: pure air, sunlight, abstemious­ non-Adventists. Sabbath School and Personal Ministries ness, rest, exercise, proper diet, the use CAH: From 1945 until July 1994, 236 Director at the Austral Union, Argentina. of water, and trust in divine power. studies and scientific researches were Recently, he finished his doctorate in pas­ done in relation to the lifestyle of the toral theology; the theme of his disserta­ ED: What are the main causes of Seventh-day Adventists in countries like tion was "The Adventist Lifestyle." This is death in the world? the United States, Canada, Poland, Neth­ what he talks about with the readers of CAH: First of all, heart disease, followed erlands, Norway, and Spain. Life expec­ Elder's Digest. by cancer, obesity, and diabetes. One tancy has always been higher among third of deaths are caused by cardiovas­ Adventists than non-Adventists. Observe Elder Digest (ED): What made you cular diseases. Each year, nearly ten mil­ the following figures: write about the Adventist lifestyle? lion people in the world develop some Carlos A. Hein (CAM): I had the privilege kind of cancer, and approximately six Longevity of Adventist Women Compared to Non-Adventlst of working side by side with Graciela as million die. For the year 2020, fifteen a missionary with the Adventist Com­ million new cases of cancer are fore­ munity Service Launches in the Ama­ seen. Since 1980, the number of obese zon. There, I understood that we should adults has doubled. Today, eighteen mil­ teach the local people how to have a lion Americans suffer from diabetes. better quality of life. Years later, work­ ing as a pastor in the city of Rosario, Ar­ ED: What are the main causes of gentina, I accompanied two physicians these diseases? D Non-Adventist i Adventist from the National University of Rosario, CAH: Genetic predisposition, age, who were doing comparative research race, and family history. These causes Longevity of Adventist Men between the health of the Adventists and are reinforced by the lifestyle, particu­ Compared to Non-Adventlst 82.0 non-Adventists in that city. Unfortunate­ larly by physical inactivity, sedentarism, ly, the research could not be done. It was poor diet, overweight, smoking, and verified that although there were seven alcohol. Adventist churches, only three members followed a lifestyle different from the ED: Do Adventists practice a healthy rest of the population. This fact bothered lifestyle? me a lot, and I decided to do something CAH: In 2000, Dr. Allan Handysides, >^\xs *x ^ about it, so that my church could have a director of the Health Department of the D Adventist • Non-Adventist better lifestyle. General Conference, fostered a study with OCTOBER 2005/MARCH 2006 FD: Does the sun influence our happens with any machine built by men, it stimulates the circulation, which clears disposition? inactivity wears the body out. Studies the mind; helps the digestion process; CAH: It improves our disposition and show that inactivity exerts a higher risk and makes white blood cells circulate as produces the sensation of well-being.